Even as a contractor with an hourly rate. The assumption is the rate given is for 40 hours a week. I've had a number of hourly contracts where I was told either work the over time or find a new contract. The lack of care to employees is appalling at times.

I've been on contracts that are flat billed based upon 40 hours / week but no overtime is chargeable. The problems start when more than 40 hours / week is regularly expected to perform assigned tasks to standards of the contract and there's little control you have over the client putting barriers in place that make you less productive making the true hourly rate at least 25% lower.

I've only had two types of contracts. One is absolutely nothing to do, what I'm hired to do is not feasible and shelved. The second is so busy, so much overtime you can't breathe.

So many jobs now, over work and expect over 40 hours. With no additional compensation. A majority of my contracts are flat rate. I had one role that paid half of my rate for over time.

Not just tacit -- I used to work at a factory, where as an engineer I was exempt. But I was on 12 hour shifts, 3 on, 4 off, 4 on, 3 off. Except that if there's a meeting, you stay an extra hour or come in an hour early. Or if there's an incident, you stay until everything is cleaned up. And if there's a meeting on your off day? You come in anyway. You get paged in the middle of the day / night when you're supposed to be asleep? You call in, and if things are bad enough you come in. Nothing tacit about it. If you didn't do those things, you were getting fired.

This is a great point. Comparisons should really take in to account salary per real hour worked, not just salary per year.

I'm really glad I live and work in Norway where such conditions are illegal.